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- May 2, 2021
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Glutamine has terrible bioavailbility
Early research studies with glutamine were in critically injured or ill individuals. They received their glutamine via injection or administered through an IV. That means the glutamine is directed put into your bloodstream. Studies with glutamine supplementation in athletes used oral supplementation, where glutamine was ingested via liquid, capsule, or powder, and it’s here we see the problem with glutamine.
It has incredibly low bioavailability. In other words, when you consume glutamine orally, it’s not taken up very well by the body. This has to do with the fact that the stomach, liver, and intestines LOVE glutamine. They’re greedy, they don’t want to share glutamine. And, when you consume glutamine supplements, the glutamine passes through all of those organs before it has the opportunity to enter your bloodstream and be delivered to your muscles.
Essentially, those expensive glutamine supplements are gobbled up by your GI system, and never really make it to your muscles.
And, to further drive home the point, other research indicates that supplementing with glutamine may actually harm you.
Negative Effects of Glutamine
A 2014 review analyzed effects of glutamine supplementation on ventilated patients. Researchers noted that supplementing with glutamine did not reduce muscle protein breakdown (catabolism) and even increased de novo glutamine production, indicating that supplementing with glutamine may accelerate muscle breakdown.
Furthermore, that same study noted glutamine supplementation can potentially increase the inflammatory response, and lead to excessive inflammation and complications.
Other research indicates that glutamine supplementation can actually reduce phosphorylation of mTOR, the exact opposite of what you want when trying to maximize muscle growth.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, other research indicates that certain tumors can “reprogram” themselves to run on different fuel sources (glucose is their preferred fuel source). Science has identified glutamate (derived from glutamine) can satisfy the glutamine needs of glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
Given all the negative research on glutamine supplements, it’s only natural to wonder -- why do supplement companies continue to sell it?
Quite simply, GREED!
Glutamine is an incredibly cheap ingredient, and a big reason it’s used to “fill out” low quality pre workouts, amino acid supplements, and protein powders. On top of that, supplement companies are hedging their bets that the average consumer doesn’t really know all that much about supplements, and they’re making millions off of the uninformed consumer.
Takeaway
At the end of the day, you don’t need to supplement with Glutamine. It’s not an essential amino acid, and can readily be synthesized from other amino acids in the body or obtained from any number of foods you consume on a daily basis, as the BCAAs naturally found in protein serve as precursors of glutamine.
Early research studies with glutamine were in critically injured or ill individuals. They received their glutamine via injection or administered through an IV. That means the glutamine is directed put into your bloodstream. Studies with glutamine supplementation in athletes used oral supplementation, where glutamine was ingested via liquid, capsule, or powder, and it’s here we see the problem with glutamine.
It has incredibly low bioavailability. In other words, when you consume glutamine orally, it’s not taken up very well by the body. This has to do with the fact that the stomach, liver, and intestines LOVE glutamine. They’re greedy, they don’t want to share glutamine. And, when you consume glutamine supplements, the glutamine passes through all of those organs before it has the opportunity to enter your bloodstream and be delivered to your muscles.
Essentially, those expensive glutamine supplements are gobbled up by your GI system, and never really make it to your muscles.
And, to further drive home the point, other research indicates that supplementing with glutamine may actually harm you.
Negative Effects of Glutamine
A 2014 review analyzed effects of glutamine supplementation on ventilated patients. Researchers noted that supplementing with glutamine did not reduce muscle protein breakdown (catabolism) and even increased de novo glutamine production, indicating that supplementing with glutamine may accelerate muscle breakdown.
Furthermore, that same study noted glutamine supplementation can potentially increase the inflammatory response, and lead to excessive inflammation and complications.
Other research indicates that glutamine supplementation can actually reduce phosphorylation of mTOR, the exact opposite of what you want when trying to maximize muscle growth.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, other research indicates that certain tumors can “reprogram” themselves to run on different fuel sources (glucose is their preferred fuel source). Science has identified glutamate (derived from glutamine) can satisfy the glutamine needs of glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
Given all the negative research on glutamine supplements, it’s only natural to wonder -- why do supplement companies continue to sell it?
Quite simply, GREED!
Glutamine is an incredibly cheap ingredient, and a big reason it’s used to “fill out” low quality pre workouts, amino acid supplements, and protein powders. On top of that, supplement companies are hedging their bets that the average consumer doesn’t really know all that much about supplements, and they’re making millions off of the uninformed consumer.
Takeaway
At the end of the day, you don’t need to supplement with Glutamine. It’s not an essential amino acid, and can readily be synthesized from other amino acids in the body or obtained from any number of foods you consume on a daily basis, as the BCAAs naturally found in protein serve as precursors of glutamine.
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